A Major's Promise
by A Man In Uniform OS Contest
Summary: The search and rescue of war prisoner, Jasper Whitlock, has Jasper reflecting on a promise that he made to the one he loves.


**"For the Love of a Man in Uniform" O/S Contest**

**Title: A Major's Promise**

**Word Count: 2,556**

**Rating: M **

**Pairing: Jasper/Edward/Emmett **_**(Jasper/Alice)**_

**Summary: The search and rescue of war prisoner, Jasper Whitlock, has Jasper reflecting on a promise that he made to the one he loves.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns Twilight, Jasper, Edward, and all of the rest of its wonderful characters. This story is entirely my own. Thanks to my beta. Thanks to those who protect our country.**

**~*oOo*~**

**A Major's Promise **

I can barely breathe through the dusty burlap sack that covers my head. I open my eyes and can only see shadows in the dim light through the weave of the fabric. My wrists have rope burns where it binds my hands together behind my back. I can't move my legs because they have been tied to the legs of a wooden stool.

It seems that my convoy was ambushed and I am now a prisoner in this hellish war. I don't know how long I've been here; I don't know how many days or weeks have passed. I am thirsty… hungry… tired. I desperately want to go back home.

I close my eyes as the sound of gunfire rings out in the distance.

**~*oOo*~**

_That first night we met – at that Texas bar not too far from base where I was playing my guitar during an amateur night – I knew she was the one. Her smiles were contagious as well as her laughter as I watched her from the stage. _

_When my song was over, I walked up to her, nervous as a long tail cat in a room full of rocking chairs, and asked, "Do you mind if I buy you a drink?"_

_She looked around like she couldn't believe that I was talking to her. "Me?" she asked, unsure, pointing to herself._

_I chuckled. "Yes, you."_

_She nodded coyly and motioned for me to sit next to her, and I quickly did so before she could change her mind._

"_I'm Captain Jasper Whitlock. What's your name, darlin'?"_

"_I'm Alice Brandon," she barely spoke above the music. "Nice to meet you… Captain?"_

"_Call me Jasper, please." I picked up her hand in mine and looked into her eyes, saying, "And believe me, ma'am, the pleasure is all mine."_

**~*oOo*~**

Gun fire rings out in the room that I am in, snapping me back to reality. From what I can tell, men are running and yelling in their native tongues as confusion sets in. The dust in the air has been riled up and I choke, trying to gasp for a breath.

After a few more shots, I feel a body land at my feet. I am nervous for what has happened. A rescue? A suicide? Am I the next to die?

Suddenly, the burlap sack is ripped from my head. I am instantly blinded by the bright sunlight entering the room. I cough a couple of times and try to focus my eyes on the two shadows in front of me.

"Major Jasper Whitlock? We are here for you. You are safe now," the thinner shadow tells me.

The larger shadow talks loudly, drowning out the thinner one. "Tango November niner… this is Foxtrot Charlie three two seven… We have found Major Jasper Whitlock and are awaiting your instructions."

I want to believe them, but something doesn't feel right to this career military man. I can't speak; my mouth is too dry. My vision blurs more as all falls black again.

**~*oOo*~**

"_Have we been together a year already?" I asked her innocently._

_She smiled and nodded before telling me, "I can't believe you forgot."_

_I got down on one knee, and reached into my pocket. Her eyes widened as I pulled out a small, black velvet box and presented it to her. Her mouth dropped as I opened the box and asked, "How could I forget the magical night we met? I love you more than anything else in the world. Would you do me the honor of becoming my wife?"_

_A tear cascaded down her cheek as she nodded, barely able to say, "Yes."_

_I took her trembling left hand in mine and slid the ring on her finger. Then, I took her hand and placed it on my heart. I told her how much I truly loved her and how she just made me the happiest man on the planet._

_The smile didn't leave her face as I kissed her over and over again._

_Six months after that, during my two week leave, we were married on base by the chaplain with my best friend and his fiancée as witnesses. We could have waited, but I wanted to make it official before I had to leave for a tour… in case those orders came down._

**~*oOo*~**

I wake up hours later to find myself in the company of Sergeant Major Emmett McCarty and First Lieutenant Edward Cullen.

They share their water and rations with me, making sure that I could regain some strength so I can move on my own. As I swallow down the cool water, Cullen explains that they were part of a thirteen man rescue mission. While I eat the unusually delicious rations, McCarty tells me that their squad was ambushed and the others were killed in gunfire.

I am informed that we only have a few hours until the Air Force will bomb the foreign city we are in. It's imperative that we get to the rendezvous point just outside of town for chopper pickup by oh-one hundred hours.

The officer in me wakes up and kicks my ass into gear. I tell my inferiors that I am now in charge and I will get them out of here. The First Lieutenant argues that I am weak and not in the mental state to do such things, but I remind him who the ranking officer is and he quickly falls in line.

I ask them about the city's layout and for the location of the rendezvous point. McCarty pulls out a map and Cullen explains the details to me. He points out our current location and tells me we are about 5 klicks from the meeting point.

As he explains everything, the one thought in my mind is that I have to get home to her.

**~*oOo*~**

_We visited the exotic downtown San Antonio for our week long honeymoon. Really, the location didn't matter. All that I cared about was being with her and she told me the same._

_That first night was bliss. Not like the other night's weren't, but that was our first time as husband and wife._

_I carried her to the bed in our suite and gently laid her on it. I slowly removed her clothing, kissing every inch of skin as I revealed it. She watched until I reached her hip. That's when she closed her eyes with a heavenly sigh._

_My tongue went to work on her as I removed her panties. Her hands wove into my hair and her hips wiggled as I tasted her for the first time ever. Her sweet flavor made me hum in happiness._

_After she had reached ecstasy that first time, I entered her, relishing her softness and groaning at how hot she really was. The most difficult part was trying to take my time and not lose myself. With each push, she became hotter and tighter._

_I laid flush on top of her and kissed her as I continued sliding in and out of her. Her hands clung to my back, not wanting to let me go. I stared into her beautiful eyes watching her expressions. She smiled at me and between pants, declared her love for me._

_Sweat was dripping off of me onto her with those final few pushes. Her moans intensified and I could feel her squeezing me tightly. With one final thrust, I came in her as I kissed her._

**~*oOo*~**

McCarty loads his weapon, as does Cullen. Staying low, I crawl over to the now dead captor, and take his weapon from him. I also take the two extra clips he has in a holster around his waist.

I check the ammo in the gun as I go over our plan one final time. Making sure they understand how things were going down, I order that there be no radio contact and we will be using hand signals to communicate. Upon final confirmation, we gather by the door and wait for our chance.

Under the cover of the night's darkness, we leave the tiny ramshackle building. We stay in the shadows along the buildings on the same side of the street. As we reach the first major intersection that we have to cross, I peek around the corner and a shot rings out.

I pull my head back to avoid being hit. The bullet nicks the corner of the concrete building. My face stings as the debris hits it. I take a deep breath, knowing full well that a battle is about to begin.

I signal to Cullen to cover me while I run across. I order McCarty to take cover behind the vehicle that has broken down in the middle of the street. They nod to me, letting me know they understand.

With my weapon ready, I give the signal. My heart is pounding as I dash across to the other building. I hear shots ring out, some of which are coming from behind me, others coming from my gun, but I don't stop until I reach the safety of the cover of the building.

I turn around and see McCarty behind the vehicle. I motion to him that he is next to come over. He quickly nods and I motion to Cullen to start firing.

As Cullen and I fire our weapons into the darkness, McCarty makes it to my side, unharmed. We now have to get Cullen over to us. Reaching over, I grab a grenade from McCarty's Kevlar vest. Swallowing hard, I pinch the handle and pull the pin. I whisper to McCarty to signal Cullen to be ready.

As Cullen's stance tells me he is good to go, I say a little prayer and with everything I have, I toss the grenade down the street from where the shots are ringing out. The second the blast shakes the buildings, Cullen runs faster than anything I had ever seen before. He is by my side in no time.

We continue our way through the streets, coming across gunfire and grenade blasts. About two klicks in, we are pinned, surrounded by gunfire. A blast goes off near us and dust fills the air, making us choke and cough.

**~*oOo*~**

"_I have some news," I told her. "I've been promoted to Major."_

_She jumped up and hugged me. "Congratulations, baby."_

_I asked her to sit because I wasn't finished, and she obeyed me with a worried look in her eyes. "I'm also being sent over. I won't be in combat, though. I am being sent over for my expertise in tactical planning. Six short months, and I'll be home."_

_Her eyes met mine, and a tear fell down her cheek, reminding me of that night I proposed to her. I sat beside her and hugged her tightly. "Everything will be all right. I'll be back before you know it."_

_She sobbed into my shoulder, pulling me tightly to her. "Promise me you'll be safe."_

"_I promise," I told her and hugged her more tightly._

"_Because things have changed," she cried._

_I sat back from her, confused by her statement. "What's changed?"_

_She drew in a deep, hitching breath. "I'm pregnant."_

_Joy ran throughout me. My heart was exploding with happiness. The grin on my face spread and wouldn't stop. Then I realized what she was afraid of…_

_I pulled her to me, kissing her deeply and promising, "I'll come home. I promise."_

**~*oOo*~**

The three of us made it to the edge of town. Through all of the gunfire and explosions, we manage to make it unharmed. A sense of relief begins to wash over me.

As we were making our way up the hill to the pickup point, a shot rings out. Cullen falls. McCarty and I rush to his side. He has been hit in the leg. I quickly make a tourniquet from my shirt and ask if he's able to move on. He nods.

Just as McCarty and I help him to his feet, another shot rings out. This time, I am the one experiencing a burning pain in my chest. Cullen falls and McCarty is at my side tending to me.

My mind is screaming that I just want to get home before my baby can be born. My heart aches for her. I can't break the promise I made.

McCarty tells me that it seems I have a shoulder wound. I look down and see blood pouring out of a gaping hole on my upper left chest. Honestly, I don't think I'll make it as the burning runs throughout my left arm and abdomen.

I order McCarty to get Cullen up the hill to safety and not to worry about me.

He helps Cullen back to his feet with one arm wrapped around him. With his free hand, he reaches down and grabs my right arm and pulls me along, screaming that he will not leave a man behind.

I don't know how he did it, but he got us to the rendezvous point, dodging the shots that continued to ring out from the city behind us. He positioned us behind a large rock and made the call for pick up.

As we wait behind that rock, shots still being fired, explosions still ringing out, I yell at McCarty for not taking my orders. I tell him that he will go nowhere if he cannot take a basic order from his superior. I scream that his career in the military may just end because of his insubordination.

Then, I stop yelling as thoughts of her and my unborn child fill my mind and I feel guilty. I tell him thank you for going above and beyond the call of duty. I admit that he was right in not listening.

Of all things, he just chuckles at me. He tells me that I'm wounded and not in the right frame of mind. He knows that what he did was right and he would do it all over again.

Cullen laughs with him, and I can't help but to laugh along.

Just after oh-one hundred, the helicopter hovers above us. Three ropes are tossed down and one man repels down to our sides. One-by-one through gunfire from the enemy approaching up the hill, we are hoisted into the chopper.

Once we are all in, the helicopter begins the journey back to base. I keep watch on the city as a bomber flies over, dropping its load. The heat from the impact blast radiates on my face; the brightness blinding me for a moment. As I refocus, I see nothing but flames and broken buildings where that city once was.

After weeks of being held captive, a sense of happiness washes over me. I am going to go home… to my family to be. And with me, will be the two soldiers who saved me – First Lieutenant Edward Cullen and Sergeant Major Emmett McCarty. These two men that will forever be my friends… made by a bond that can never be broken.

I am proud to have them serve by my side. I am proud to serve my country. I am Major Jasper Whitlock and I am proud to be a Marine.

_Alice, darlin', I kept that promise. I'm coming home._


End file.
